Description

The Little Book of String Theory offers a short, accessible, and entertaining introduction to one of the most talked-about areas of physics today. String theory has been called the "theory of everything." It seeks to describe all the fundamental forces of nature. It encompasses gravity and quantum mechanics in one unifying theory. But it is unproven and fraught with controversy. After reading this book, you'll be able to draw your own conclusions about string theory.

Steve Gubser begins by explaining Einstein's famous equation E = mc2 , quantum mechanics, and black holes. He then gives readers a crash course in string theory and the core ideas behind it. In plain English and with a minimum of mathematics, Gubser covers strings, branes, string dualities, extra dimensions, curved spacetime, quantum fluctuations, symmetry, and supersymmetry. He describes efforts to link string theory to experimental physics and uses analogies that nonscientists can understand. How does Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu relate to quantum mechanics? What would it be like to fall into a black hole? Why is dancing a waltz similar to contemplating a string duality? Find out in the pages of this book.

The Little Book of String Theory is the essential, most up-to-date beginner's guide to this elegant, multidimensional field of physics.

About the author

Steven S. Gubser is professor of physics at Princeton University.

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17 total

Dave Callanan

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Written to be accessible, but it still made brain hurt. Fascinating.

Mitch Allen

Review: The Little Book of String Theory An inconsistent, confusing and incomplete treatment of a complex subject. Filled with jargon and random detail that will confound most casual readers but stops well short of presenting deeper explanations that would be useful to the more technically inclined.

Brenton Carter

Review: The Little Book of String Theory This is an awesome book. The input and view from the Author is described perfectly in his texts.

Paul

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Actually, not "read" but "DNF" (though I may yet do so.). This topic is difficult enough for a lay person to grasp, but I did not find the author's explanations, common analogies and all, to be that helpful.

Anthony Tenaglier

Review: The Little Book of String Theory I think what I liked the most about this book was the author was a rock climber and used rock climbing analogies to illustrate certain concepts throughout the book.

Greg Stoll

Review: The Little Book of String Theory A good summary of string theory. A bit hard to follow even though I have a little physics background, but still informative.

User reviews

Dave Callanan

Goodreads

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Written to be accessible, but it still made brain hurt. Fascinating.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory An inconsistent, confusing and incomplete treatment of a complex subject. Filled with jargon and random detail that will confound most casual readers but stops well short of presenting deeper explanations that would be useful to the more technically inclined.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Actually, not "read" but "DNF" (though I may yet do so.). This topic is difficult enough for a lay person to grasp, but I did not find the author's explanations, common analogies and all, to be that helpful.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory I think what I liked the most about this book was the author was a rock climber and used rock climbing analogies to illustrate certain concepts throughout the book.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory I generally love books about physics and math. This book, however, had me yawning. If you want a good book about physics I would recommend Leonard Susskind, Vilenkin, or deGrasse Tyson. This book is horrible.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Most of this book was way over my head. Fascinating topic, but when the narrative starts to hinge on mathematical equations I start to lose the thread. Good for those without that particular problem.

Review: The Little Book of String Theory An interesting read. Gave me something meaty to wrap my brain around and gnaw on for a while. And, as others have said, almost no math involved. ps OMG...the answer really IS "42"!! (I really want to re-read Hitchhiker )

Review: The Little Book of String Theory No equations, no calculations, no symbols- not even a single one. Only ideas and concepts. (Still very abstract though, but it should be expected. Anyway it's a proposed theory of everything in our ...

Review: The Little Book of String Theory Gusber does an admirable job of giving a snapshot of the landscape of string theory without going overboard in technical details. Unfortunately that also means that a lot of it reads like a botanist ...

String Theory Demystified elucidates the goal of the theory--to combine general relativity and quantum theory into a single, unified framework. You'll learn about classical strings, conformal field theory, quantization, compactification, and T duality. The book covers supersymmetry and superstrings, D-branes, the holographic principle, and cosmology. Hundreds of examples and illustrations make it easy to understand the material, and end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam help reinforce learning.

This fast and easy guide offers:

Numerous figures to illustrate key concepts Sample problems with worked solutions Coverage of equations of motion, the energy-momentum tensor, and conserved currents A discussion of the Randall-Sundrum model A time-saving approach to performing better on an exam or at work

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, String Theory Demystified is your key to comprehending this theory of everything.

This book is an attempt to share some of the fascinating and exciting ideas of modern theoretical physics with a non-mathematical audience. I also hope to give some appreciation of the exceptionally creative people who have generated these ideas. I had no intention of writing a comprehen sive history of these ideas, however; I apologize to those physicists whose important contributions I may have omitted. Several people have contributed directly to the writing of this book, and I would like to take this chance to thank them. Clive Horwood of Praxis Publishing and Paul Farrell of Copernicus Books have both been supportive of the project. Anna Painter has been an exceptionally thorough editor and has provided invaluable advice. Dr John Mason and Lyman Lyons both offered constructive criticism of an early draft. The errors that remai- and errors and misinterpretations are inevitable in any attempt to explain the subtle ideas of theoretical physics without the aid of mathematics - are my sole responsibility. I would like to thank Ron, Ronnie, Peter, Jackie, Emily, and Abigail for their support. And, most importantly, I would like to thank Heike and Jessica for their patience. Stephen Webb Milton Keynes, April 2004 1X FIGURE CREDITS I would like to acknowledge the following sources and copyright holders for granting permission to use their images. Figure 8 is from the Wilson A. Bentley collection. Figure 14 is courtesy ofNASA.

Quantum theory is so shocking that Einstein could not bring himself to accept it. It is so important that it provides the fundamental underpinning of all modern sciences. Without it, we'd have no nuclear power or nuclear weapons, no TV, no computers, no science of molecular biology, no understanding of DNA, no genetic engineering. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat tells the complete story of quantum mechanics, a truth stranger than any fiction. John Gribbin takes us step by step into an ever more bizarre and fascinating place, requiring only that we approach it with an open mind. He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory. He investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, superconductors and life itself. And in a world full of its own delights, mysteries and surprises, he searches for Schrodinger's Cat - a search for quantum reality - as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today - quantum physics. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat is a fascinating and delightful introduction to the strange world of the quantum - an essential element in understanding today's world.

The conceptual changes brought by modern physics are important, radical and fascinating, yet they are only vaguely understood by people working outside the field. Exploring the four pillars of modern physics – relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles and cosmology – this clear and lively account will interest anyone who has wondered what Einstein, Bohr, Schrödinger and Heisenberg were really talking about. The book discusses quarks and leptons, antiparticles and Feynman diagrams, curved space-time, the Big Bang and the expanding Universe. Suitable for undergraduate students in non-science as well as science subjects, it uses problems and worked examples to help readers develop an understanding of what recent advances in physics actually mean.

String theory is one of the most complicated sciences being explored today. Not to worry though! This informative guide clearly explains the basics of this hot topic, discusses the theory's hypotheses and predictions, and explores its curious implications. It also presents the critical viewpoints in opposition to string theory so you can draw your own conclusions.

Understand the "theory of everything" -- grasp the key concepts and importance of the theory, and learn why scientists are so excited about finding a theory of quantum gravity

It all comes down to physics -- discover how string theory is built upon the major scientific developments of the early 20th century

Building the theory -- trace the creation and development of string theory, discover its predictions, and see whether accurate conclusions can be made

Take string theory for a spin -- explore the core issue of extra dimensions, the implications for cosmology, and how string theory could explain certain properties of our universe

Boldly go where no one has gone -- see what string theory has to say about possible parallel universes, the origin and fate of our universe, and the potential for time travel

Hear from the critics -- listen in on the heated debates about string theory and weigh the alternatives being offered

The hunt for the Higgs particle has involved the biggest, most expensive experiment ever. So exactly what is this particle? Why does it matter so much? What does it tell us about the Universe? Has the discovery announced on 4 July 2012 finished the search? And was finding it really worth all the effort? The short answer is yes. The Higgs field is proposed as the way in which particles gain mass - a fundamental property of matter. It's the strongest indicator yet that the Standard Model of physics really does reflect the basic building blocks of our Universe. Little wonder the hunt and discovery of this new particle has produced such intense media interest. Here, Jim Baggott explains the science behind the discovery, looking at how the concept of a Higgs field was invented, how the vast experiment was carried out, and its implications on our understanding of all mass in the Universe. The book was written over the eighteen months of the CERN Large Hadron Collider experiment, with its final chapter rounded off on the day of the announcement 'that a particle consistent with the standard model Higgs boson has been discovered.'

Possibilities in Parallel: Seeking the Multiverse by the Editors of Scientific American Parallel universes are a staple of science fiction, and it's no wonder. They allow us to explore the question, "what if?" in a way that lets us step completely outside of the world we know, rather than question how that world might have turned out differently. For cosmologists, the question isn't "what if the South won the Civil War?" but "what if the constants that make up the fundamental building blocks of physics were different?" Physicists argue that any slight change to the laws of physics would mean a disruption in the evolution of the universe, and thus our existence. Take gravity, for example: too strong and stars would burn through their fuel far more quickly. If the universe expanded too fast, matter would spread out too thin for galaxies to form. The list of examples goes on – to the point where the laws of physics might seem finely tuned to make our existence possible. Short of a supernatural or divine explanation, one possibility is that our universe isn’t the only one. That's the idea explored in this eBook, Possibilities in Parallel: Seeking the Multiverse. In Section 1, we explore why scientists think other universes could exist. After that, we get a look at the implications. Is it possible to have life in a universe with different physical laws? It would seem so. In “Cracking Open a Window,” George Musser discusses the possibility that our universe has more than three spatial dimensions – the others happen to be very small. Other articles, including “The Universe’s Unseen Dimensions,” analyze the idea that our universe is one of many "branes" – three-dimensional structures stretched out over a higher-dimensional space. The concept of a parallel universe also touches time travel, and then there's the question of what the term "parallel universe" actually means. It's a triumph of the sciences that the very question of why the universe looks as it does can be asked at all. There are currently several possibilities for a multiverse, if it exists. Time and a lot of scientific spadework will reveal which one is right – and get us closer to answering those metaphysical questions: what if, why us, why now?

Since 2008 scientists have conducted experiments in a hyperenergized, 17-mile supercollider beneath the border of France and Switzerland. The Large Hadron Collider (or what scientists call "the LHC") is one of the wonders of the modern world—a highly sophisticated scientific instrument designed to recreate in miniature the conditions of the universe as they existed in the microseconds following the big bang. Among many notable LHC discoveries, one led to the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for revealing evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle.

Picking up where he left off in The Quantum Frontier, physicist Don Lincoln shares an insider’s account of the LHC’s operational history and gives readers everything they need to become well informed on this marvel of technology.

Writing about the LHC’s early days, Lincoln offers keen insight into an accident that derailed the operation nine days after the collider’s 2008 debut. A faulty solder joint started a chain reaction that caused a massive explosion, damaged 50 superconducting magnets, and vaporized large sections of the conductor. The crippled LHC lay dormant for over a year, while technical teams repaired the damage.

Lincoln devotes an entire chapter to the Higgs boson and Higgs field, using several extended analogies to help explain the importance of these concepts to particle physics. In the final chapter, he describes what the discovery of the Higgs boson tells us about our current understanding of basic physics and how the discovery now keeps scientists awake over a nagging inconsistency in their favorite theory.

As accessible as it is fascinating, The Large Hadron Collider reveals the inner workings of this masterful achievement of technology, along with the mind-blowing discoveries that will keep it at the center of the scientific frontier for the foreseeable future.

On July 4, 2012, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva madehistory when they discovered an entirely new type of subatomic particle that many scientists believe is the Higgs boson. For forty years, physicists searched for this capstone to the Standard Model of particle physics—the theory that describes both the most elementary components that are known in matter and the forces through which they interact. This particle points to the Higgs field, which provides the key to understanding why elementary particles have mass. In Higgs Discovery, Lisa Randall explains the science behind this monumental discovery, its exhilarating implications, and the power of empty space.

‘Gravity, a Geometrical Course’ presents general relativity (GR) in a systematic and exhaustive way, covering three aspects that are homogenized into a single texture: i) the mathematical, geometrical foundations, exposed in a self consistent contemporary formalism, ii) the main physical, astrophysical and cosmological applications, updated to the issues of contemporary research and observations, with glimpses on supergravity and superstring theory, iii) the historical development of scientific ideas underlying both the birth of general relativity and its subsequent evolution. The book is divided in two volumes.

Volume Two is covers black holes, cosmology and an introduction to supergravity. The aim of this volume is two-fold. It completes the presentation of GR and it introduces the reader to theory of gravitation beyond GR, which is supergravity. Starting with a short history of the black hole concept, the book covers the Kruskal extension of the Schwarzschild metric, the causal structures of Lorentzian manifolds, Penrose diagrams and a detailed analysis of the Kerr-Newman metric. An extensive historical account of the development of modern cosmology is followed by a detailed presentation of its mathematical structure, including non-isotropic cosmologies and billiards, de Sitter space and inflationary scenarios, perturbation theory and anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The last three chapters deal with the mathematical and conceptual foundations of supergravity in the frame of free differential algebras. Branes are presented both as classical solutions of the bulk theory and as world-volume gauge theories with particular emphasis on the geometrical interpretation of kappa-supersymmetry. The rich bestiary of special geometries underlying supergravity lagrangians is presented, followed by a chapter providing glances on the equally rich collection of special solutions of supergravity.

Pietro Frè is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Torino, Italy and is currently serving as Scientific Counsellor of the Italian Embassy in Moscow. His scientific passion lies in supergravity and all allied topics, since the inception of the field, in 1976. He was professor at SISSA, worked in the USA and at CERN. He has taught General Relativity for 15 years. He has previously two scientific monographs, “Supergravity and Superstrings” and “The N=2 Wonderland”, He is also the author of a popular science book on cosmology and two novels, in Italian.

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